By Sam Tobin
LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) – Three British men suing Oscar-winning U.S. actor Kevin Spacey over alleged sexual assaults asked London’s High Court on Tuesday to allow them to rely on accusations by seven others, one dating back to the 1970s, at a civil trial later this year.
The three men say Spacey sexually assaulted them between 2000 and 2013. Two were complainants and gave evidence in the actor’s 2023 criminal trial in London at which he was found not guilty of all charges.
The 66-year-old, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars before he was first accused of sexual assault in 2017, has always denied sexual misconduct and says the incidents alleged in the lawsuit did not happen or were consensual. He did not attend Tuesday’s hearing.
The claimants want to rely at a civil trial in November on evidence from seven other men who allege they were sexually assaulted by Spacey – one in the late 1970s, two in the late 1990s and four in the 2000s and 2010s.
The claimants’ lawyer, Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel, told the court the other men’s accounts showed Spacey had a “propensity to sexually assault young men” and, in some instances, allegedly exploited his status as a famous actor to do so.
Spacey’s lawyers argue the additional allegations, which Spacey denies, do not show any pattern of behaviour and are of limited or no relevance to the three claimants’ cases.
Judge Christina Lambert is expected to give her ruling on whether the seven additional accounts can be included at a later date.
OLD VIC THEATRE SETTLES CLAIMANT’S CASE
One of the three claimants suing Spacey had also sued London’s Old Vic theatre, where Spacey worked as artistic director from 2003.
The Old Vic reached an agreement with the claimant to settle the case against it. His case against Spacey continues.
The Old Vic said in a statement: “This settlement has been agreed without any admission of liability, having regard to the costs and impact on all parties of continuing litigation.”
Spacey, who won Oscars for “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects”, was dropped from the TV drama “House of Cards” and removed from the movie “All the Money in the World” after he was first accused of sexual assault.
A civil lawsuit against Spacey in the United States was dismissed by a jury in 2022 and he stood trial in London the following year, charged with sexually assaulting four men in Britain. He was acquitted of all nine charges.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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